News

Oprah Winfrey to Star in Natalie’s “Queen Sugar”-inspired series

Natalie Baszile

Here’s the amazing news from Deadline Hollywood about longtime Grottoite Natalie Baszile, whose novel Queen Sugar was ten years in the making:

“Selma co-star and producer Oprah Winfrey has teamed with the film’s director Ava DuVernay to create a new original drama for OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network. Inspired by the novel “Queen Sugar,” DuVernay is set to write, direct and executive produce the project in her TV series debut. Winfrey will executive produce and have a recurring role on the show, marking the first time Winfrey will act in a series for her network. Filming is scheduled to begin later this year.”

“Adapted from the first-time novel “Queen Sugar” by Natalie Baszile, the contemporary series will chronicle a spirited woman who leaves her upscale Los Angeles lifestyle behind to claim an inheritance from her recently departed father – an 800-acre sugar cane farm in the heart of Louisiana. Her world and identity are turned upside down as she and her teenage daughter attempt to navigate a new and very different environment while rebuilding their farm from scratch. She is met with curiosity and community, with resistance and romance. It isn’t long before a transformation begins and she realizes that she’s been living a lot farther from her Southern roots than mere miles.”

“’I loved this book and immediately saw it as a series for OWN,’ said Oprah Winfrey. “The story’s themes of reinventing your life, parenting alone, family connections and conflicts, and building new relationships are what I believe will connect our viewers to this show.”

Shanthi Sells Her Novel

Last spring Grottoite Shanthi Sekaran sent out a call to her fellow Grottoites for help. Her novel, which involves “illegal immigration, adoption, and what happens when immigrants are detained and must give up their American-born children to the state foster system” wasn’t selling. Shanthi asked: “Why does no one want this? Are we pitching to the wrong types of editors? Is it the book itself? Is it my agent? Is it the industry that’s ‘just so tough right now’?” Well, now Shanthi can answer all those questions herself because SHE SOLD HER NOVEL! Lucky Boy will be published by Putnam/Penguin

February 14: 20 Years of Grotto Love at the San Francisco Writers Conference

Connie Hale

All writers need love, or at least valentines… As part of our 20th anniversary celebration, members Natalie Baszile, Constance Hale, Meghan Ward and Ethan Watters will share honest insights with attendees at the SF Writers Conference. The panel (at 3 p.m.) is called “WRITING FOR THE RIGHT REASONS: The Joys and Hazards of the Literary Life (With Reflections from Members of the SF Writers Grotto, Celebrating 20 Years as a Collective).” http://sfwriters.org/ …and get the schedule here (page 9) at http://sfwriters.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/2015-SCHEDULE_1-9.pdf

Noah Awarded a Golden Globe for Fargo

Huge congratulations to former Grotto dweller Noah Hawley, who was just awarded a Golden Globe for his “Fargo” series on FX. Series creator Noah beat out some serious competition, and had already garnered three Emmys last year. In his acceptance speech, he noted the award “was a tribute to “the heart of what Fargo is about–that you can change the world, not through grand acts of heroism, but just by being decent to people.” http://www.peoplestylewatch.com/people/stylewatch/package/article/0,,20881790_20890818,00.html Read a past interview with Noah about his progression from The Grotto to Hollywood here: http://noahhawley.tumblr.com/Interviews Kudos to Noah!

Gerry Launches His Newest Book This Month

Gerard Jones

Gerard Jones has a new book of literary parody out, The Beaver Papers 2, based on the question, “What if Nabokov, Fitzgerald, Plath, Updike, Ayn Rand and 20 other great authors wrote episodes of the iconic sitcom Leave It to Beaver?” One reviewer notes: “If you are overeducated, over-read, and have an overactive sense of the absurd, this book was written specifically for you.

Time’s running out: January 31 is the deadline for applications to Lit Camp. Now in its third year, the four day Lit Camp conference boasts its most impressive faculty for 2015. Pulitzer Prize winners Adam Johnson (The Orphan Master’s Son) and Paul Harding (Tinkers), New York agent Ellen Levine and Amy Williams, editor in chief at Riverhead Publishing Sarah McGrath, author Anthony Marra (A Constellation of Vital Phenomena), plus editors from McSweeney’s, The Rumpus, Zyzyzzva and more. Only forty writers of fiction, memoir, and narrative nonfiction will be accepted at this conference, co-sponsored by the Grotto. Held at beautiful Mayacamas Ranch in the rolling hills above Calistoga, California, Lit Camp combines daily morning workshops with afternoon panels — even a session of Yoga for Writers taught by Bay Area yoga legend Mark Morford. Also new for 2015, Lit Camp will be offering a limited number of scholarships. For more details, see litcampwriters.org.

Caroline and Wendy’s Lost Cat Poster One of the Year’s Best American Infographics

Grottoite Caroline Paul and her partner, Grotto Friend Wendy McNaughton’s Lost Cat poster was selected as one of the Best American Infographics for 2014. Check it out, along with the other brilliant awardees, at Brain Pickings. Last year Lost Cat was also selected by Brain Pickings as the #1 best Book of the Year in Biographies, Memoirs, and History Books, by the way, beating out Susan Sontag and Maurice Sendak: http://www.brainpickings.org/2013/11/25/best-biographies-memoirs-and-history-books-of-2013/ Congratulations to Caroline and Wendy!

Don’t Miss Zahra’s Hijab and Hammerpants at Stage Werx Theater

Zahra Noorbakhsh

Wednesday December 10th, at 7:30pm, Grottoite Zahra Noorbakhsh performs her full-length one-woman show “Hijab and Hammerpants” at Stage Werx Theater in SF (446 Valencia). This piece began as a short vignette about Zahra’s first (and only) time wearing hijab for 8 minutes at a Blockbuster in her hometown of Danville, CA. After performing it and her last full length show, “All Atheists Are Muslim,” a theater critic asked her why her work doesn’t answer for 9/11. So, now it does. She’s gonna answer for all of it. Get tickets here (this show will sell out): http://www.facebook.com/events/777709332275455/

Vanessa Takes the Stage at the Writers With Drinks Series

Vanessa Hua

Grotto dweller Vanessa Hua reads from her novel in progress at on December 13, as part of the Writers With Drinks spoken word variety show, hosted by Charlie Anders. The Make-out Room, 3225 22nd Street, San Francisco, 7:30-9:30 pm. More information at http://www.writerswithdrinks.com/

Maw at Quiet Lightning’s Five-Year Anniversary Celebration

Maw Shein Win

On Sunday December 14th, Grottoite Maw Shein Win performs with Benjamin Wachs, Melissa Stein, and Jason Jimenez for Quiet Lightning’s five-year anniversary celebration. There will be live music by Shenandoah Davis and

Vanessa Wins the James D. Phelan Literary Award

Vanessa Hua

Grottoite Vanessa Hua received the San Francisco Foundation’s James D. Phelan literary award, joining the ranks of past winners who include Raymond Carver and Philip Levine. Tisa Bryant, one of the judges, praised her “thoughtful use of themes, such as scandal, transit and redemption, to expand and dramatize the connections between Asian diasporic characters as complex, mobile and at turns hilariously and painfully human.” Huge congratulations to Vanessa! She’ll read from her novel-in-progress on November 13, 6:30-8pm, at the San Francisco Foundation, One Embarcadero Center, Suite 1400. For more and to RSVP, go to http://sff.org/programs/awards-programs/art-awards/literary-awards/

Chris Awarded the 2014 Lowell Thomas Award

Chris Colin

Grottoite Chris Colin won a 2014 Lowell Thomas award for his feature on the odd world of private train fanatics, online at http://www.sunset.com/travel/train. Kudos to Chris!

Maw Reading at Adobe Books on November 15

Grottoite Maw Shein Win will be hosting a reading on Saturday, November 15th at Adobe Books, located at 3130 24th Street, San Francisco, of Bay Area Burmese/Burmese-American/Anglo-Burmese writers, Audrey Esquivel, Su Su Maung, Khin Thiri Nandar Soe, and Kenneth Wong, who will read memoir, poetry, fiction, and non-fiction. This special event is free of charge and begins at 7 p.m. For more info: https://www.facebook.com/events/906320332729248/?ref_dashboard_filter=calendar

Lavina Hosts a Travel Writing Workshop in Peru

Lavinia Spalding

Is Machu Picchu on your life list? A few spots are still available in author and The Best Women’s Travel Writing editor Lavinia Spalding‘s six-day writing workshop for women this November. Attendees will spend five nights at Apu Lodge (named the best posada in South America by the Guardian UK ), take a train ride through the jungle to explore Machu Picchu, and have a Peruvian concierge/guide/translator for the entire expedition. But sign up soon–tickets to Machu Picchu are limited. Find out more about the workshop here: http://kirstenkoza.com/expeditions/inca-tale-machu-picchu-writing-workshop-peru-november-2014/

It’s Not Too Late to Take a Fall Class

Several multi-week and weekend classes at the Grotto are still open for enrollment. Check out Experimental Writing, Writing Your Hero’s Journey, Using Models to Craft Short Fiction, and two sessions on Writing an Effective Query Letter. Details at http://www.sfgrotto.org/classes/current-class-roster

Now in its third year, the four day Lit Camp conference boasts its most impressive faculty for 2015. Pulitzer Prize winners Adam Johnson (The Orphan Master’s Son) and Paul Harding (Tinkers), New York agent Ellen Levine and Amy Williams, editor in chief at Riverhead Publishing Sarah McGrath, author Anthony Marra (A Constellation of Vital Phenomena), plus editors from McSweeney’s, The Rumpus, Zyzyzzva and more. Only forty writers of fiction, memoir, and narrative nonfiction will be accepted at this conference, co-sponsored by the Grotto. Held at beautiful Mayacamas Ranch in the rolling hills above Calistoga, California, Lit Camp combines daily morning workshops with afternoon panels — even a session of Yoga for Writers taught by Bay Area yoga legend Mark Morford. Also new for 2015, Lit Camp will be offering a limited number of scholarships. For more details, see litcampwriters.org.

Brace yourself. The first Grotto/Litquake book project, DRIVEL: Deliciously Bad Writing by Your Favorite Authors, came out September 2nd. Edited by Grottoite Julia Scott and based on the popular “Regreturature” benefit shows, this collection of illogical short stories, overwrought journal entries, and other insipid writing by America’s most beloved authors and artists features many current and former Grotto dwellers, as well as writers like Dave Eggers, Stephen Elliott, Gillian Flynn, Chuck Palahniuk, Mary Roach, and Amy Tan. Vanity Fair raves: “Drivel will pluck your heart strings…classic.” Order yours today,